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狼と香辛料 [Ookami to Koushinryou] (Novel) #11

Spice and Wolf, Vol. 11: Side Colors II

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As with the first Side Colors volume, Side Colors II departs once more from Lawrence and Holo's travels north, taking the reader off the beaten path to explore three exquisite side stories. Remember, it's not so much about the destination, as it is the journey...

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2009

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Isuna Hasekura

65 books346 followers

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5 stars
264 (37%)
4 stars
266 (37%)
3 stars
142 (19%)
2 stars
36 (5%)
1 star
4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Ricardo Matos.
471 reviews4 followers
September 12, 2017
Alright i'll be the bad guy and rate it 1 star. By volume 11, only fans on the series will be reading this volume, so it's easy to get buffed reviews (a side story book getting an average of over 4.0 must mean it's a great side story book right?!?)
The first story is uninteresting and makes no sense, as Lawrence is all giddy trying to be top merchant for a settlement when he knows he'll not be doubling back there any time soon.
The second is a dialogue... author refers to how proud she is of it in the afterword... but totally not a short story at all.
The third, even if well written and kind of interesting is extremely predictable and Eve goes full Darth Vader joining the sark side in an unnatural way. The character doesn't work for me... she'd been through a lot and seems to bear no scars and by the end of 70 pages she's gone full evil. Nah, it needed a better setup and a different starting point in my opinion.

It's a pleasant read, but if you skipped this one altogether nothing would feel lost!
Profile Image for Allison.
222 reviews4 followers
April 10, 2015
I don't feel like, at the 11th volume in the series, there's much I can say to people who aren't fans of Spice and Wolf or haven't read it. Even though this is a short story collection, any enjoyment of it is going to be tied to the first 10 volumes, one way or another, so I don't want to spend this review praising the series.

For fans of this series, however, the third story in this volume, focusing on rival merchant Eve, makes this whole volume well worth it. Taking up half of the book, this turns from a sedate portrait of the culture of the world in which these novels are set to being a rather intense character study. I dragged my feet getting to it, as the first two stories here (both of which are about Lawrence and Holo) are rather insubstantial, though they are cute and charming. The last of the stories, however, is the best this series has been since before Col joined the group.

The last Spice and Wolf short story collection was completely insignificant, but I strongly recommend this book to anyone who follows the series, whether you usually skip these collections or not.
Profile Image for Rafaela (dragonsandpaperbacks) .
599 reviews55 followers
March 19, 2019
This is without a doubt my least favorite volume so far. I rather enjoyed the first Side Colors, especially with that story from Holo's past, but this one was really disappointing. I think it added nothing to the enjoyment of the main series and that it's all a bit unnecessary. Eve's story had thre potential to be so much more, and the star of this volume, but it was such a disappointment. I'm surprised it has such a high rating.

Wolf and Golden Promise - 3 stars
This was short but the one I found the most interesting if it can be called that. Lawrence and Holo come upon an isolated village and they do business with them. More of the same.

Wolf and Bright Green Detour - 3.5 stars
I'm not sure what to say about this one, though I liked seeing the casual, familiar banter between Holo and Lawrence. It was cute.

Black Wolf's Craddle - 2.5 stars
This is the story of how Fleur becomes Eve, and though I'm not fond of Eve at all, I was interested in to see what happened. But this story was boring and predictable.
I don't think the dramatic character change from the start of the story to the end can be well-founded from what happened in the actual story. Perhaps if there had been a more negative outcome to the deal, or some traumatic event, but the way it is, I disliked it.

Profile Image for Anniken Haga.
Author 10 books90 followers
December 6, 2018
Another short story collection to the Spice and Wolf-series. I find these are ok, but not all that interesting as they don't really affect the story much, and I am starting to think the story has grown a little stale as well. But! Not much farther!
And, seeing as I need to write a review about this book as well, here goes. There will be individual reviews for each of the shorts at the bottom.

Of the two Side Colors books I've read so far, this was the least interesting.
That said, the writing is good and the characters are steady.
There seem to have been some press problems, though, as the pictures accompanying each story were placed with the wrong stories. Some were where they should be, but most were not, it seemed. This really threw me for a loop at one point, but it was not such a big issue that it ruined the book.

So, to individual reviews:

THE WOLF AND THE GOLDEN PROMISE

The first story in this book was a somewhat slow one, but good for character building, giving a good picture of the relationship between Holo and Lawrence, and it focused on Holo, which I liked - I'm a sucker for stories about her.
I did see how it was going to end a long way off, but then again, Lawrence is an idiot sometimes.

3/5

THE WOLF AN THE VERDANT DETOUR

Another one giving a good picture of the relationship between the characters. I will admit that I am wondering about it a little, the way almost every conversation is a battle of wits, but not all of them can be, and there were some of them here, which were good.
It was also refreshing to read something beside the story, as one often forgets that things happen between books.

3/5

THE BLACK WOLF'S CRADLE

The story of how Eve became the Wolf of the Roam River.
Honestly, I've never been a fan of Eve and so I found this story rather unintereating. There was a lot of round—about things happening, and stumbles and tumbles, and I got easily bored.

2/5

To be honest, I feel that reading this book was a bit of a waste. Now, I know there is another Side Color again after the next book, so I am considering just skipping that and maybe returning after I finish the main series. Only time will tell!
Profile Image for myinon.
79 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2015
This volume is a collection of short stories similar in format to Spice & Wolf, Vol. 7: Side Colors. It contains two short stories and one novella. In this volume, I really enjoyed the second short story over the first one. The second was actually really short (20 pages), but showed off how entertaining Lawrence and Holo's conversations could be. The first one was okay, but I didn't really agree with how it was resolved. The novella this time around was the back-story to Eve Bolan and how she became the merchant that she is now. I felt that the lesson that was learned at the end did her justice, and clearly showed why she became the ruthless merchant that she is.
Profile Image for Aidan.
10 reviews
December 11, 2017
Giving this 5 stars specifically for Eve’s story.
It was fucking brilliant. She has now become one of my absolute favourite characters.

Being able to read about her upbringing and her path to becoming a merchant gives so much depth to her backstory, a wonderful idea and beautifully executed in my opinion. Her story has also become my favourite side story, which is impressive to me because I didn’t think anything could beat “The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers.”

Though i know it’s a long shot, I would love to read more about Eve’s journey. I kinda wish now she had a couple of her own books with things she’s been up to. She is way more cutthroat than Lawrence and there is something very appealing about that.

I have a deep, deep respect for her now.
And i can’t wait to go back and read the volumes she has been in now that I know more about her.
Profile Image for Lawrence Caldwell.
Author 40 books14 followers
October 13, 2017
I forgot how much I don't like Cole. Without him getting between Lawrence and Holo in these short stories, I've come to realize that he's a construct to get in the way and slow their relationship progression down. Kind of annoying. I liked the short story with Holo and Lawrence in this one.

The story with Eve's backstory and how she came to be so shrewd is pretty good, too. Actually, it spans about half this volume. It's kind of a sad story. I hope to see more of her in later volumes. She's my favorite character after Holo and Lawrence. Then again, what other characters are there besides get-in-the-way-Cole?
121 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2022
Holy hell. The first two stories were nice and light-hearted starring the best adorable duo. And then we get a story about Eve- I mean Fleur Bolan quickly learning that the world of merchants and commerce is a wolf-eat-wolf world. Yes, I knew she'd eventually dawn the moniker Eve by the end...




-SPOILER-



But I didn't think she'd kill the inspiration of the name with a wooden stake broken off a damaged cart. I had to put the book down and take a walk. But it was good and that's what counts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rita the Parrot Princess.
12 reviews
August 4, 2017
Wonderful volume consisting of two short sties (one very short) and a novella. The novella is the keeper as it deals with the early tears of Fleur/Eve Bolan. It almost makes me wish the author would create a spinoff series dealing with her life as a merchant. Very well written.
Profile Image for Victor Sanchez.
322 reviews3 followers
November 9, 2024
I think this is my lowest rated Spice and wolf book and the reason is, the half of the book, the story of Eve, was just so unappealing. It was supposed to be a story about the fall from grace, of the rise of the ruthless Eve as this mostly antagonistic, self-destructive merchant that will earn money under any circumstance, as a show of how far can Lawrence could go if he had never found Holo.

But the author cannot write that type of story, at all. There is a cadence, a way to structure this genre that the author simply has not knack in this boo, that makes the story a bore, a bland journey from this fallen noble to this monster of greed that feel unsatisfying and abrupt. I hope this is the last try in the spice and wolf verse that we get a work like this and that he became much better in the parchment installments.

Profile Image for Carolina.
401 reviews9 followers
October 5, 2020
E continuamos com outra Light Novel, desta vez Spice & Wolf.

Curiosamente, gostei bastante deste volume de histórias curtas. Permitiu-me conhecer um pouco melhor a relação entre Holo e Lawrence e foi refrescante ver a história da origem de uma personagem tão irritante como Fleur (Eve).

Como sempre, não temos uma narrativa especialmente bem escrita ou bem construída. No entanto, a simplicidade das histórias deste volume tornam-no cativante e um dos melhores da série, até agora.

Fiquei com vontade de continuar a ler os outros volumes, e devo dizer que já me estava a fartar um pouco deles.
36 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2019
This set of side stories is 2 shorter stories, plus one which is 1/2 the volume. Overall these stories fell a bit stronger and cleaner than the first side colors volume. However they are quite out of order; fans of the series won't mind too much, but for those picking it up or re-reading there are some fan made timelines with the linear story order (as much as possible) and that might help to enjoy these. Particularly Eve's backstory is introduced after she's already appeared in 3 of the past volumes. My favorite of these stories is the first, The Wolf and the Golden Promise as does actually do a bit to progress, or at least deepen the relationship in what feels like a meaningful way.
Profile Image for Rach Shelkey.
Author 1 book4 followers
January 12, 2023
Read this one to re-familiarize myself with the world of Spice & Wolf. The first two stories are fairly disposable, the second one admittedly so in the afterword. The last one is more grounded in the stakes and drama in the world, although the main character is somewhat passive until the climax. This may have been the point, as the story is an origin story of sorts for her.
Profile Image for Eamonn.
22 reviews
January 13, 2025
Compared to the first Side Colors volume, this one feels like it doesn't really offer much of value to the series at this point. The first two stories have no stakes in the wider setting, and the third, while serving as some sort of ruthless backstory for Eve & comparison to the could-haves of Lawrence's story, fails to draw the relevant parallels in a convincible manner.
301 reviews
May 21, 2019
The first two stories are cute; Eve's backstory is handled beautifully. Like with all the translations for this series it's not the smoothest in the world but it's effective and I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you've read this far you'll continue to enjoy it.
Profile Image for HermitBell.
210 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2021
Honestly it doesn't make sense that this side stories book has such a similar rating to the rest of the series. Side colors I was way more interesting, this one was simply boring.

I suggest skipping this unless you really like Eve/ Fleur (which I don't).
Profile Image for Caitlin ~WordsAreMyForte~.
481 reviews33 followers
August 29, 2021
The first two stories following Holo and Lawrence were enjoyable, but not anything too crazy. Eve Bolan's story (one of the side characters) was fascinating, working as a sort of 'antihero origin story' Her descent might have been a nit fast-paced, however.
Profile Image for Azim SF.
10 reviews15 followers
May 17, 2018
A lovely profit-chasing volume and poignant back-story of the wolf merchant.
Profile Image for Rei.
2 reviews
November 23, 2018
This took me ages to finish but I'm glad I finally did! Reading the story of how Eve became who she is now was interesting and sad...
Profile Image for Leamutz.
58 reviews
June 15, 2020
The first two stories were nice, but the last one was way to long and focused on a character who I personally didn't care about.
Profile Image for Spencer Hixon.
10 reviews3 followers
March 18, 2024
Wonderful addition

This made me fall in love with the characters all over again, especially in the last story. I hope this is not the last time we see that character.
Profile Image for Lord.
4 reviews
May 6, 2019
I liked the first two stories, especially the first one where Holo slaps the kid to help the townsfolk divide land. I thought that was hilarious. The Detour story was cozy. Eva's origin story was too long. It was interesting, but I didn't find myself all that engrossed in it, and just kind of forced myself to read it.

One thing I thought was funny too is the book that I read had a lot of errors in it. This doesn't affect my opinion of the stories. Two of the pictures where in the wrong spots in regards to what was happening, and a lot of words were used wrong. I'm curious, did anyone else experience this issue? Or did I just get a faulty copy?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for S.Q. Eries.
Author 7 books15 followers
November 3, 2016
In Summary

Hasekura-sensei presents an interesting variety in Side Stories II. The Wolf and the Golden Promise offers a compressed version of Holo and Lawrence’s usual business ventures. The Wolf and the Verdant Detour lacks an economics bent and seems aimed towards those who enjoy Holo and Lawrence’s travel banter. As for The Black Wolf’s Cradle, that story delves into the ill-fated deal that turns Fleur Bolan into the resolute and ruthless Eve. In his closing notes, Hasekura-sensei mentions writing a side story on Norah, and considering how well he executed Eve’s story, I look forward to what he does with the shy shepherdess.

The Review

Like the first Side Colors volume, Spice and Wolf Volume 11: Side Colors II is a collection of short stories set in the Spice and Wolf world: The Wolf and the Golden Promise, The Wolf and the Verdant Detour, and The Black Wolf’s Cradle.

Those who prefer Holo and Lawrence’s interactions without to the presence of the youngster Col will likely enjoy the first two stories. Hasekura-sensei doesn’t specify when The Wolf and the Golden Promise takes place, but it is during the period when they are still using Lawrence’s horse and cart. While traveling through a remote area, Lawrence and Holo stumble upon Jisahz, a colony village with fat chickens, tasty ale, and no means of getting their goods to market. It’s a golden opportunity for a traveling merchant, thus the business bent in this story is Lawrence’s efforts to establish a new trade relationship. At first, he manages handily on his own, quickly gaining respect by settling a long-time dispute between two colonists. This rather irritates Holo, but I was glad to see it. Holo so often goes on and on about Lawrence’s inexperience and foolishness it’s nice to see him do well on his own once in a while. However, being a Spice and Wolf story, another problem arises, which only Holo’s wisdom can resolve. While I can’t say Holo’s solution made much sense to me, it works for the village settlers, turning this into yet another instance where Lawrence’s and Holo’s combined efforts result in profit.

The Wolf and the Verdant Detour is a much shorter work. The 17-page story is little more than banter between Lawrence and Holo as Lawrence takes a detour that makes him look like the stereotypical lost male who refuses to ask for directions. To me, it feels more like a fanfiction than a full-fledged story.

The third, longest, and most interesting story, The Black Wolf’s Cradle, doesn’t feature Holo at all. Instead, it tells of Eve’s initiation into trade. Eve, whom I consider more of a fox than a black wolf, isn’t a character I’m fond of, but the story does offer insight into how a sentimental girl of noble birth turns into a woman bold enough to sink a ship to frustrate her competition. The text does drag in places where it emphasizes Eve’s ignorance a bit overmuch, and when she signs her first contract, a seemingly no-risk deal with a perfect gentleman, you know it’s too good to be true. However, the story’s final conclusion was a complete surprise. I still don’t like Eve much, but I understand her more now.

This light novel includes the title page, four illustrations, and the table of contents printed in color as well as eight black-and-white illustrations. I should note that two of the black-and-white illustrations are placed within the wrong stories.

For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Secre.
103 reviews
April 11, 2023
I'm a little late on the review but here it goes...

I'm a big fan of the main story and I'm starting to become a fan of these side stories. The story has a short story about Holo and Lawrence but the majority of this book focuses on Eve and her upbringing to merchant as well as her downfall from nobility. I'm rather glad that the author is taking the time to give the side characters a backstory it helps with character development.
Profile Image for Brian Wilkerson.
Author 5 books30 followers
March 15, 2025
This is the second book-of-side-stories in the series. I like these. It's nice to get low-stakes stories with these two after major events with heavy drama.

The first story is Lawrence finding an untapped market from a growing village, which you can imagine is essentially stumbling upon a gold mine to a merchant. Sure, it is a long-term investment and would certainly require a lot of work, but the potential is grand.

The second story is basically one of Lawrence and Holo's bouts of affection bickering while they travel in their cart. It's funny and cute, but it is not merely fluff.

The third is heavy drama. It is Eve Bolan's Start of Darkness, back when she was still "Fleur" and still learning how to be a merchant. It is rich with Dramatic Irony, and that is its appeal. On its own, it is not much, but because we, the readers, know that this kind-hearted and earnest young woman will eventually turn into a ruthless dealmaker, we can't help but think...how does that happen? And why does she have trusted companions here but alone later?

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Spice and Wolf light novel volume 10 -Side Colors II" an A+
Profile Image for Joseph Raborg.
200 reviews10 followers
October 10, 2016
This is a much better collection of short stories than the first "Side Colors" volume. The first two short stories are fun, and the novella with Eve Bolan as the main character is very compelling. Skip volume seven by all means, but the eleventh has everything we love about Spice and Wolf.
Profile Image for Nicole.
250 reviews10 followers
June 3, 2014
First two stories were rather shippy Laurence and Holo, third was Eve's backstory and a definite reason to read this volume.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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